Paul D. Sonkin

Founded in 1958, Merrill Lynch Piece Fenner & Smith, Inc. is an SEC registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of BAC North America Holding Co. and their ultimate parent is Bank of America Corp. (NYSE BAC).

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1927, the firm is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). GS&Co. provides services to help hedge funds manage risk, monitor portfolios, maintain liquidity and build their businesses. They offer clients access to global equity and derivatives markets, as well as foreign exchange, commodities, European Lefts, rates and credit across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The firm proactively monitors capital markets, searching for pockets of liquidity and news that may require changes to those strategies. Integration with the Goldman Sachs network gives clients access to the firm's sectored block trades and their insights into price discovery. Their electronic trading program provides clients with tools to manage their trades from pre-trade analytics to post-trade analysis.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC (Credit Suisse Securities USA) is the broker/dealer division of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, an investment banking company headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse (USA), Inc., ultimately owned by Credit Suisse Group AG (SWX: CSGN) in Switzerland. Credit Suisse Securities USA offers a suite of equities, solutions and credit products and services which includes global securities sales, trading and execution, prime brokerage and comprehensive investment research. Their clients include financial institutions, corporations, governments, institutional investors, such as pension funds and hedge funds, and private individuals around the world.

Moody's Investors Service, Inc. is a credit rating and investment research firm headquartered in New York City. They are a subsidiary of Moody's Corp. (NYSE: MCO). The firm performs international financial research and analysis on commercial and government entities and provides a variety of analytic tools for assessing credit risk. Their clients include creditors, investment banks and commercial banks.

Peking University provides post-secondary education services. It offers undergraduate and graduate courses. It provides courses such as basic and applied sciences, social sciences and the humanities, sciences of medicine, management, and education. The company was founded by JiaNai Sun in 1898 and is headquartered in Beijing, China.

BofA Securities, Inc. is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of NB Holdings Corp., ultimately held by Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). Headquartered in New York, the firm was founded in 2015 and offers trade execution, trading or brokerage services to institutional clients.

Cornell University is an educational institution that offers undergraduate and post graduate programs. It was founded in 1865 and is based in Ithaca, NY.

Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1967 and is a subsidiary of Alliance Capital Management LLC, ultimately held by Equitable Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EQH). Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. provides trading and executions services to their clients.

Duke University is an academic university that offers undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. It also has publications and research services. The university was founded in 1838 and is headquartered in Durham, NC.

JPMorgan Investment Management, Inc. (JPMIM) is a global, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2000 as the result of Chase Manhattan's purchase of Robert Fleming Holdings and the subsequent merger of Chase and JPMorgan. In January 2010, JPMorgan Investment Advisors merged into JP Morgan Investment Management. JPMIM is a subsidiary of JPMorgan Asset Management Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM). The firm primarily provides investment advisory services to both US and non-US institutional and retail clients.

Mizuho Securities USA LLC is the US-based securities broker/dealer and futures commission merchant arm of Mizuho Americas LLC, ultimately held by Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (TYO: 8411, NYSE: MFG) in Japan. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1994 and provides institutional and corporate clients access to commodity and financial markets around the world. Mizuho Securities USA covers the following industries: Consumer, Energy, Financial Institutions, Financial Sponsors, Healthcare, Industrial & Diversified Industries, Power, Utilities & Infrastructure, Real Estate, and Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT). The firm and their affiliates hold memberships on all major futures and options exchanges worldwide.

Nomura Securities International, Inc. (NSI) is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City and was founded in 1969. The firm is a division of Nomura Holding America, Inc. and their ultimate parent is Nomura Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: NMR, TYO: 8604, AMS: 8604). NSI provides securities brokerage services, as well as asset management, domestic retail, global markets, global investment banking and global merchant banking services. The firm's fixed-income business consists of bond sales and trading, origination and product supply for securitization deals and real estate-focused asset finance operations (in cooperation with Investment Banking). In the equity markets, NSI offers sales and trading of domestic and foreign stocks on a global basis, primarily for institutional investors.

Fitch Ratings, Inc. is a global rating agency and investment research firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by John Knowles in 1913 as Fitch Publishing Co. They are a subsidiary of Fitch Group, Inc., ultimately owned by The Hearst Family Trust. Fitch Ratings seeks to provide independent and prospective credit opinions, research and data to the world's credit markets. Their approach is based on a foundation of local market experience that covers capital markets in over 150 countries. The firm's ratings analysis and rating decisions are based on established criteria, methodologies and ratings definitions which they apply in a consistent manner. Fitch Ratings provides coverage of the following markets: Economics, Banks, Insurance, Sovereigns, Corporates, Structured Finance, Public Finance – International, Public Finance – US, Infrastructure & Project, and Finance.

JPMorgan Securities LLC (JPMS) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1985 and is a subsidiary of JPMorgan Broker-Dealer Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Inc. (NYSE: JPM). JPMS provides research on fixed income, credit, derivatives, emerging markets, foreign exchange, structured finance, technical analysis and bond indices. Their equity analysts cover equities throughout North America, EMEA, Asia/Pacific and the emerging markets. The firm's fixed income team formulates trading and portfolio recommendations for investors in global bonds and other fixed-income markets based on valuations, analytics and market dynamics.

Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. (DBSI) is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1971 and is a wholly-owned investment banking and brokerage arm of DB U.S. Financial Markets Holding Corp., ultimately held by Deutsche Bank AG (NYSE: DB, FRA: DBK) in Germany. DBSI provides securities brokerage and investment advisory services to domestic and international private clients and institutions. They are also a primary dealer in US government securities as designated by the Federal Reserve.

Epoch Investment Partners, Inc. (Epoch) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by Bill Priest and David Pearl in 2004. They are a subsidiary of TD Bank US Holding Co., ultimately owned by The Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD) in Canada. Epoch provides investment advisory services to primarily institutional clients.

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.

G.research (formerly known as Gabelli & Co., Inc.) is a registered institutional research and brokerage firm headquartered in Rye, New York and was founded in 1976. The firm is a subsidiary of Gabelli Securities, Inc. and their ultimate parent is GAMCO Investors, Inc. (NYSE: GBL). G.research has an emphasis on small and mid-cap ideas. Their core competencies include aerospace and defense, automotive aftermarket, food and beverage, gaming and lodging, industrials, media, specialty chemicals, telecom and utilities. They publish daily research notes and full reports utilizing their proprietary Private Market Value (PMV) with a Catalyst methodology.

Barclays Capital, Inc. is a registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1997 and is a subsidiary of Barclays Group US, Inc., ultimately owned by Barclays plc (LON: BARC) in Great Britain. Barclays Capital provides large corporate, government and institutional clients a full spectrum of prime brokerage services which includes equities and fixed income financing, OTC Clearing, Futures and Foreign Exchange Prime Brokerage and access to industry insights and analytics from their Strategic Consulting team.

Environmental Defense Fund, Inc. operates as a non-profit organization, which works to forge practical solutions that help nature and people prosper sustainably. It launched the Smart Boat Initiative (SBI) which focuses on leveraging the technological advances and plummeting costs in sensors, artificial intelligence, broadband communication and data analytics to equip and surround fishing vessels of all sizes with digital tools and infrastructure that can increase sustainability, accountability, profitability and transparency in fishing. The company was founded by Arthur P. Cooley, Charles F. Wurster and Dennis Puleston in 1967 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Eola Property Trust is a real estate investment trust company. The firm is into the acquisition, ownership, management, redevelopment, and disposition of high quality office buildings in USA. The company is headquartered in Orlando, FL.

Covington & Burling LLP provides legal services. It also provides support services in the following administrative departments including accounting, human resources, information research services, information technology services, library, operations, marketing, practice systems support, recruitment, attorney and alumni relations, and professional development. The company was founded by J. Harry Covington and Edward B. Burling on January 1, 1919 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.

Founded in 2006 by Stephen Inglis and Robert Mazzeo, Enclave Capital LLC is a registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a member of FINRA and SIPC. They are a subsidiary of Cairo-based Beltone Financial Holding SAE. Enclave Capital distributes transactions through their equity sales desk and investment bankers located in the firm's offices in New York City, San Francisco and Hong Kong. Enclave Capital provides institutional investors with execution on U.S. markets and research and trading on the emerging markets of the Middle East. The firm's coverage includes the telecommunications/media, biotechnology/life sciences, clean technology/energy and oil & gas sectors. In the U.S., the firm focuses on U.S.-listed, foreign and domestic micro-, small- and mid-cap companies. Enclave Capital is also expanding their coverage to include Asian and other emerging markets.

Founded in 2004, TD Securities (USA) LLC is a broker/dealer located in New York City with additional offices in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver, London, Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney. The firm is a subsidiary of Toronto Dominion Holdings (USA), Inc. and their ultimate parent is Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD). TD Securities (USA) provides a wide range of capital market products and services to corporate, government and institutional clients in five areas of finance including: investment banking, debt capital markets, institutional equities, foreign exchange and money markets. Their services include the underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues, providing advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures and executing daily trading and investment needs. The equity group provides research coverage of media and communications, technology, financial services, oil and gas, mining and metals, industrial products, forest products, technology, utilities and power, real estate, biotechnology, consumer products and merchandising and quantitative analysis strategy. The fixed-income group provides a full range of underwriting sales and trading products for Canadian, U.S. and European debt issuers and investors.

Kekst & Co. provides public relations services. It focuses on corporate communications and investor relations as well as provides strategic advisory services related to merger and acquisition, bankruptcies and restructurings, crisis communications, litigation support, media relations and corporate governance. The company was founded by Gershon Kekst and Lawrence A. Rand in 1970 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Shearman & Sterling LLP provides legal services. It specializes in appellate litigations, capital markets, corporate governance, environmental, finance, international arbitration, investment funds, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, privatization, real estate, and tax. The company was founded by Thomas Shearman in 1873 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Cowen & Co. LLC is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2004 and is a subsidiary of Cowen Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE: TD) in Canada. Cowen & Co. offers industry-focused investment banking for growth-oriented companies, domain knowledge-driven research and a sales and trading platform for institutional investors. Their institutional sales and trading business serves both equity and fixed-income clients. Sales and trading execution platform is structured around the following key verticals: (1) healthcare (2) technology, telecommunications and media (TMT) (3) REITs and financials (4) aerospace and defense (5) consumer and (6) alternative energy.

Children's Council of San Francisco provides children care services. It offers free, multilingual resources and referrals for San Francisco families seeking child care, help paying for child care for low-income working families. The company was founded by Patty Siegel and Martha Roditti in 1973 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

Part of ING Groep NV, Baring Securities Ltd. is a Chinese company that provides securities brokerage services. The company is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Applied Medical Corp. operates as a medical device company. It provides breakthrough technologies for minimally invasive and general surgery, as well as cardiac, vascular, urologic, colorectal, bariatric, obstetric and gynecologic specialties. The company was founded by Nabil Hilal in 1987 and is headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA.

East Coast Asset Management LLC (ECAM) is an independent, SEC- registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Essex, Massachusetts. The firm was founded by Christopher Begg and Benjamin Favazza in 2008 as East Coast Asset Management, Inc. ECAM provides customized and comprehensive investment management services to individuals, trusts, foundations, endowments, pension, and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and other entities.